Silence Is A Scary Sound
by WannaHoldYourHand
Summary: After a severe incident of bullying, Kurt Hummel has stopped speaking and is so scared that he transfers to Dalton. His room mate, Blaine Anderson, is very understanding, and their friendship soon grows, but Blaine's liking to Kurt gradually becomes stronger. Can you fall in love with someone who doesn't speak? Klaine Fic!
1. Chapter 1

_**[A/N] Well, I wasn't actually going to put this up, but I was bored when I was at my nan's and I started typing it up on my iPod, just for something to do. Anyway, I ended up writing the first 3 chapters, so I figured I may as well put it up and see what you think. I know I have other stories that need updating and I know I've been really busy recently and probably shouldn't be starting a new story, but beings as I've already written those first 3 chapters I may as well not let them go to waste. Hope you likeys :) (Oh, and also, this is a bit of an AU. I've sort of tweaked the Karofsky situation a bit, but all will be explained later!)**_

* * *

"If you say one word, to anyone, I will kill you."

The words seemingly echoed around the corridor and Kurt was numb. The only thing he felt was the harsh pants of breath from Karofsky, who was leaning forwards so that their faces were barely an inch apart.

Kurt wanted to open his mouth and scream, but he couldn't move. He couldn't do anything. He felt his breath becoming harder to catch and he had to force himself to breathe as his throat seemed to close up. With that, Karofsky walked off, leaving Kurt struggling to breathe behind him, a few tears dripping lazily down his face.

Kurt woke up panting for breath. This scene had been the subject of his nightmares for weeks, playing over and over until he woke up in a sweat, thrashing around in his attempt to move.

He hadn't spoken for 2 weeks. The exact day when the threat was issued, Kurt stopped speaking. And with that much time off school to worry about Karofsky, his urge to speak was slowly degenerating. He didn't need to speak, he simply had to use actions or write things down.

Today, was the day his family hoped that would start to change. It was the day he was starting at his new school, Dalton Academy, and he was terrified. He didn't care if the school had some sort of zero tolerance anti-bullying policy, it didn't meant people stuck to it. He didn't want it to start again.

"Kurt," came a tired grumble across the room. Kurt looked over to see Finn rubbing his eyes and sleepily glancing between Kurt and his alarm clock. "Are you alright?"

Kurt just nodded and went to look at his own clock. 6.15. He'd be getting up soon anyway.

Finn had fallen back to sleep when Kurt looked back up, and the shorter boy rolled his eyes before getting up to shower and use the bathroom. After he was freshly washed and clothed, he looked around his side of the room. He'd packed everything over the past week, not wanting to forget anything or lose something important, but that meant dealing with an almost empty bedroom.

Kurt glanced over at Finn who was still snoring away and sighed. He was going to miss sharing a room with his brother. Although they often fought - mainly over Finn's hygiene - they were just beginning to get close. They were like real brothers now. Also, Kurt was terrified about sharing a room with a stranger. He barely communicated with strangers, let alone slept in the same room as them!

Kurt made his way upstairs, following the smell of coffee and toast. He found his dad and Carole sat at the breakfast bar, hands curled around mugs of coffee and munching on toast smeared with jam.

"Morning, Kurt," Burt greeted, sighting Kurt in the doorway. "What do you want for breakfast?"

Kurt looked between the table and his father and step mother. He then shook his head vigorously.

"Aw c'mon, Kurt, you've got to eat! Big day ahead, huh?"

Kurt let out a sigh and then made his way to the cupboard to grab a box of cereal, pouring it in silence into a bowl.

"You all packed, sweetie?" asked Carole, watching Kurt as he prepared his boy looked up to meet her eyes and gave a brief nod before turning his gaze back onto the bowl of cereal in front of him.

"Looking forward to it?" Carole continued. Kurt simply shrugged and yanked open the cutlery drawer, making the contents rattle.

Deciding he couldn't take any more of his parents' interrogation, he took his breakfast and a freshly poured coffee down to his basement bedroom, where his step brother was snoring gently. He settled down in a desk chair and laid his bowl and mug on the desk in front of him. He picked up his phone as he began to eat and surfed through the various texts he'd received that morning and the previous night. All were from his friends - the same friends he'd been worrying the hell out of for the past 2 weeks - wishing him good luck at Dalton. He felt so selfish. He'd blocked out his best friends over the last couple of weeks - avoided speaking to them (or communicating at least), leaving Finn to pass information like his transfer - but they were still trying and making sure he was okay. Well, he wasn't okay. He was anything but okay. He was still scared and worried and upset. His friends and families only hoped that this transfer to Dalton would fix that.

He sighed and rested his phone on the desk before shoving another spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

"Bro?" came a mumble from Finn's direction. Kurt turned to see a sleepy Finn sat watching him. "You alright?" Kurt shrugged, leaving Finn's face crumpled in worry. "Bro, it's going to be great! You'll meet some great people, get lots of new friends, they'll be no bullies and you won't have the drive to and from school. That's like a whole half hour more to get ready. And with the uniform that's at least another 10 minutes of you choosing an outfit taken off. You're going to go to school looking 40 minutes better than normal."

Kurt let out a laugh at Finn's attempt to help. Finn really did make him feel better than he had previously and couldn't help but spare a smile for his step brother.

"What time do we have to leave?"

Kurt spread his hands in front of him signalling 10 and Finn nodded. He glanced at the clock which told him it was 7.30. He sighed and rolled out of bed to go to the bathroom. Kurt took this as a chance to finish his breakfast. He gathered the bowl and mug and took them upstairs to the kitchen. Burt and Carole had scattered and the room was now empty.

Kurt felt even more terrible. He could see how miserable his father was and he hated him being unhappy. It was his fault that his father was upset - because of his suffering and his insistence to not speak. He wanted to speak, even if it were just to apologise to him, but every time he tried his throat would tighten and his breath would hitch.

He had over 2 hours to kill so he went to his vanity and finished his hair and skin products. He ended up tidying the few possession left in his bedroom, double checking his suitcases and dusting his half empty bookshelf before collapsing onto the living room sofa with his parents.

"I'm going to miss you, Kurt," his father commented, glancing between his son and his wife. Kurt nodded, wanting to reply with how much he'd miss his family and how he'd come home every weekend. He wanted to tell his dad how much he loved him and he wanted to be able to speak to him.

But he couldn't.

The time finally came and Kurt, Burt, Carole and Finn piled into the car. The drive to Dalton in Westerville was a good 2 hours, which Kurt planned to travel every weekend, but it flew by. Soon, they were pulling up to the tall gates of Dalton and removing Kurt's luggage. Kurt gripped his notebook - which his dad had given him for communication purposes - as he watched his father and brother drag his bags inside. He, himself, handled his school bag and wash bag.

He took one last glance at the building before taking a deep breath and entering the school.


	2. Chapter 2

Blaine Anderson adjusted his bow tie before checking over his appearance once more. Being a performer, he'd always been one to make a good impression and today he'd be getting a new room mate. He didn't want to get off on the wrong foot. He'd been told that his room mate would be coming that day so that he could settle in over the weekend before school started as well as become accommodated with a room mate.

A knock at the door interrupted Blaine's thoughts and he strolled to it to pull it open. In the corridor outside stood Nick and Jeff, both beaming at the dark haired boy.

"Blainey! You off to meet your roomie?" Nick greeted.

"Yeah, I was actually just about to leave," Blaine replied.

"That's cool! Just thought I'd drop round your Science textbook. You left it in my dorm when we studied the other day. Me and Nick were just off to the cinema," Jeff told him.

"Oh, thanks," Blaine said, taking the book and placing it on his desk. "Have a good time at the cinema."

"Will do. Hope you like your room mate. And if they're 7.6 ft with 40 motorbike related tattoos, you can always sleep in our dorm," Nick joked.

"I'll remember that," Blaine chuckled. With that and a few waves Nick and Jeff left.

Blaine took one more glance in the direction of the mirror, before heading out of his dorm room and towards to head teacher's office.

* * *

Kurt was definitely amazed by the school. He'd seen the school before, of course, but only through pictures. His dad had been to talk to the head teacher and took the files that he needed to enrol Kurt.

Blue eyes raked every detail of the corridor as they walked, shoes squeaking on the polished, patterned floor. Ahead of him, his parents and brother happily chatted with the office worker that had been asked to show their way to the head's office. From what Kurt could pick up, they were mainly asking for further details of the school - in particular about the students and their zero tolerance anti-bullying policy. Burt seemed pleased with that he was hearing, as did Carole and Finn.

Finn was worried about his brother. He felt that he'd failed him at McKinley with his lack of protection and he swore he'd never let Kurt get hurt again. He saw how badly he was affected by the bullying and, although he didn't like to be asked about it, it was still affecting him.

They reached their destination - the head teacher's office - and their guide went ahead and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" they heard a voice call through the door. The four of them (the office woman retreating back to the main office) entered the small office where a man sat behind a desk. His eyes raked the family and a smile lit his face.

"Ah, Mr Hummel. It's good to see you again," the man greeted. He then looked between Finn and Kurt, attempting to guess which would be his new student.

"You too. Mr Robertson this is my family - my wife Carole," he gestured to Carole who gave a brief nod and a friendly smile, "my step son, Finn," he continued. Finn raised his arm in a small wave, "and my son, Kurt, who will be joining Dalton."

"It's very nice to meet you all. You especially, Kurt. We look forward to having a student like yourself at Dalton. Please take a seat," Mr Robertson told them. Carole, Finn and Kurt took a seat on the sofa, which was located adjacent to the large desk, and Burt pulled up a chair from the side of the room. "You'll be meeting your new room mate in a short while, but first we'll just make sure everything else is in order," the man continued.

Kurt zoned out as they talked about credit transfers and files that he didn't care about. He only listened properly when he was addressed.

"So, Kurt. Your room mate will be here soon. He will act as your guide whilst you're here - helping you find your way around or with classes and homework if you need help catching up. If you need to know anything or if you simply want someone to sit with at lunch then you can find him."

Kurt nodded as he spoke, staring at the edge of the desk. There came a knock at the door before Mr Robertson could continue, and the head teacher beamed at them.

"I'll be just a moment," he excused himself and slipped out of the door.

"You alright, Kurt?" Burt asked, looking to where Kurt was clutching his notebook tightly. Kurt gave a slight nod, but didn't look up at his father.

"It's going to be fine," Carole assured him. "I'm sure your room mate will be really nice. You're going to love it here!"

Kurt gave another nod and fiddled with the hem of his shirt. A short while later, the door opened and in strolled Mr Robertson with a short, curly haired boy.

"Kurt Hummel, meet your room mate."

* * *

Blaine had found his way to the head master's office in the nick of time. He walked up to the door and rapped gently on the wood. A few murmurs sounded behind it and then the door opened to reveal the head master, who slid out of the room.

"Blaine, I just need to run through some things before you meet him," he told him. Blaine nodded for him to go ahead before he continued. "Well, first off some basic information. His name is Kurt Hummel and he's transferred here from McKinley. He suffered a lot of issues there with bullies, but I guess it's not my place to go into detail about that. I'm sure Kurt will tell you when he feels comfortable. Anyway, it was very bad at McKinley and its left him with some communication issues." Blaine's eyes widened.

"What sort of communication issues?" he asked.

"He doesn't speak," Mr Robertson explained. "His father has told me that he instead uses a notebook to write what he wants to say. There is a reason behind that, but once again it's not my place to talk about that."

"Oh," was all Blaine could manage to say.

"Just take these things into consideration and make sure he's comfortable around everybody. Don't let him feel like an outcast and be sure no one else lets him feel that way."

"Of course not!" Blaine insisted.

"You ready to meet him?" Blaine nodded. "Just remember to look after him. He's a bit wary at the moment."

The door was opened and Blaine stepped into the room where three people were turning to look in his direction - a fourth was still staring straight ahead.

"Kurt Hummel, meet your room mate," Mr Robertson muttered. The boy on the end, who has been staring ahead, startled at the name so Blaine guessed that this one was Kurt.

Kurt turned to look at Blaine and blue eyes met hazel.

* * *

_**[A/N] So the name of Dalton's head master is never mentioned as far as I know (?) so I made one up! YAY for making people up!**_


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing Blaine noticed about Kurt was his eyes. The blue pools were full of secrets, emotions. They told a completely different story to the seemingly calm and composed expression Kurt was sporting. They were both beautiful and heartbreaking.

The family stood to come and greet Blaine and he stepped forward, extending a hand in Kurt's direction.

"Blaine Anderson," he introduced himself. Kurt looked hesitant about shaking his hand and glanced between his hand and face a few times, but finally he took it and gave it a weak shake. "Nice to meet you, Kurt."

Kurt gave a swift nod and turned to his family. They were all obviously observing Blaine and making up their own mind about whether he was a suitable room mate for Kurt. Burt was the first to step forward and introduce himself.

"Nice to meet you, Blaine. I'm Burt Hummel, Kurt's father. This is my wife, Carole and my step son, Finn," he told Blaine who smiled at the family.

"It's nice to meet you all," Blaine responded.

"You'll look after my boy, yeah?" Burt questioned, eyebrows raised at the bow tie clad boy.

"Of course, sir. I'll be there if he needs me," Blaine assured him.

"Thanks, kid."

"Well, Kurt," interrupted Mr Robertson. "I'm sure you want to get unpacked and settled in, so if you say goodbye to your family for now and Blaine can show you around a bit before you head back to your room. I'll get someone to drop your things there so they're there for when you get back."

Kurt nodded and Mr Robertson and Blaine both stepped outside to allow the family some privacy.

Burt engulfed his son in a hug, squeezing him tightly as if he were to never let go. "I'm going to miss you, kid," he mumbled into his son's shoulder. "You better text me! I'll pick you up on Saturday to bring you home so that you can get your car, but come home whenever you like. Don't be a stranger, alright?" Kurt nodded to this and allowed his father's grip to loosen so that he could embrace his step mother, who muttered a short but loving goodbye into his ear. Then it was Finn's turn.

Finn yanked Kurt into a hug, bending down so that Kurt could reach his arms up around him. "I'll miss you, bro. I'll try and keep the room tidy, but I'll probably have to get Rachel's help. And anytime you need something, just text me or something. Oh God, how will I survive without a glass of milk and a lady chat?" Finn and Kurt both let out a huff of laughter, before leaving each others arms and sharing a smile.

Kurt raised his hand in a quick wave before her backed his way towards the doors. He wanted to say goodbye. Tell his dad that he loved him. Instead, he walked out of the door and into his new life.

* * *

Blaine was waiting for Kurt, nervous of what the other boy thought of him. Kurt wasn't at all what Blaine was expecting. Well, maybe a little. Blaine had expected a quiet, meek little boy who was too shy to stand up for himself, but from what Blaine saw, Kurt wasn't that. Firstly, he was much taller than Blaine, about 5 ft 10 at least. Although he didn't speak, he sat with his legs crossed on top of one another and his gaze set in a certain area. He seemed sure of himself. His expression showed that he was tough - putting up a wall when his eyes were screaming for help.

Kurt exited the office and Blaine took the opportunity to appreciate what Kurt wore. The white skinny jeans that moulded to his legs gave him a wave of confidence, and his white shirt, oversized indigo cardigan and indigo converse showed that he was very concerned with his clothing. Each item matched and fitted his body well. Blaine had never seen a boy to dress in this particular way and look so good.

He raised his eyes to examine Kurt's face, which was now stained with a few tears from his departure from his family.

"Ready?" Blaine asked and Kurt peered up to meet his hazel gaze. He gave a short nod and walked in Blaine's direction, hinting for him to start 'the tour'.

"You're going to love it here. Honestly, people are really nice and the building itself is lovely. It's quite big, but you'll manage to find your way around," Blaine continued, knowing that the other boy wouldn't respond with words.

Kurt was busy drinking in the sight of the school. It was truly amazing. The hallways were mainly empty as it was a weekend and most people were either in their dorms or off campus, so Kurt got to view them in more detail.

Blaine did a quick tour, showing him the library, the gym, the canteen and other classes or rooms he felt necessary. They finally reached the dorm building and hurried through the common room, with a quick commentary about the media equipment from Blaine, and found their way to their dormitory. Kurt found the way was easy to memorise.

"And this..." Blaine started, gesturing to the oak door he stood in front of, "is our room." He took a key from his pocket and pushed it into the lock, turning it until a click sounded. He opened the door and ushered Kurt inside to show him their room.

Kurt glanced around. He definitely approved of the room. Unlike the rest of the building, which all seemed so expensive that Kurt was afraid to touch anything, this room was very cosy and comfortable. The room was very symmetrical, with 2 beds set parallel near the centre of one wall. One was made up with blue sheets and had an assortment of cushions and possessions spread across it. The other was empty, waiting to be made up.

The side of the room with the empty bed also had a chest of drawers, a door leading to the built in wardrobe, a bedside table and a desk. Blaine watched as Kurt surveyed all of the furniture.

"I was using both sides of the room until you came, but I thought you might want more room for your stuff so I made sure it was all clear," Blaine explained. Kurt gave him a grateful nod and started inspecting Blaine's side of the room. To Kurt's relief it was fairly tidy – he'd dreaded having a messy room mate – and it was decorated to make it seem homely. There were a few posters on the wall of singers and bands as well as reminders, pieces of work and music sheets. There was also a shelf, which mirrored Kurt's, above his desk which held an array of CDs and DVDs. Kurt noted that Blaine actually had pretty decent taste in music and films.

Kurt noticed that there was a pile of his bags in the middle of the floor and went to open them. Blaine watched as he did so and made his way over to the boy.

"Want me to help you unpack? I could hang up your clothes in the wardrobe if you like?" Blaine offered. Kurt looked up at his eager face and gave a short smile followed by a nod. He then heaved one of his larger bags onto the bed and opened it for Blaine to see. Blaine immediately started putting the clothes on hangers, noting to himself that Kurt was very organised in the way he had packed and that he had rather a lot of pairs of skinny jeans.

The two worked in silence, Blaine every so often putting in a comment on the school or what he was unpacking, but it was comfortable. Kurt was used to silences. A lot of people just gave up speaking to him when they realised he wouldn't talk back. He was glad that Blaine seemed to be acting as if they were having a proper conversation, taking Kurt's gestures and expressions as his answers. Kurt was happy that his room mate was so understanding.

"Who's that?" Blaine asked, watching Kurt set down a photograph on his desk.

Realising he couldn't use gestures for this, Kurt took a pen from his pocket, opened his notepad and scribbled a quick reply, before showing the paper to Blaine. In neat, loopy handwriting he'd written:

"My friends in the New Directions. That's the glee club at my old school."

Blaine looked at the photograph again and realised that the group of people, Kurt included, were standing in a choir room surrounding a trophy. He then realised this meant that Kurt sang. Well, he used to sing. He assumed this was before whatever happened that made Kurt stop speaking.

"Oh, so you're who we tied with at Sectionals!" Blaine exclaimed. Kurt cocked his head and Blaine chuckled. "I'm in The Warblers, our school's glee club. I must say, you were pretty good."

Kurt smiled and continued arranging the photographs on the top of his bedside table. There were a few now. The one of him and his friends, one of him, his dad, Carole and Finn on the day of their parents' wedding, one of him and Mercedes beaming at the camera and one of a very pretty brunette.

"That your mum?" Blaine asked, pretending not to notice how Kurt stiffened at the question. He nodded and gave a sad smile. "She's really pretty," Blaine continued. Kurt didn't react to that, just continued sorting his desk so that it was perfectly organised. Blaine sensed that it was a sensitive topic, so turned the talk to school, explaining what classes were like and who were the best teachers and which were more strict about homework. Kurt listened and added some small gestures in response.

It wasn't long before all of Kurt's bags were unpacked, including his wash bag which had it's contents spread around the bathroom. Kurt's side of the room was no longer empty and looked a lot more homey. With his possessions in place around the room and his clothes hung up in the wardrobe, it was already feeling like his room.

"We all done?" Blaine asked. Kurt nodded, chewing his lip. He took his phone out and began flicking through the texts he'd received earlier. He sent a few replies to Mercedes, Rachel, Quinn and Brittany, who'd all sent him little good luck messages. As much as he felt babied, as well as pressured into explaining in full extent the reason he no longer spoke, he loved his friends and he felt mean ignoring their texts. He missed speaking to Mercedes. If things were normal, he'd be on the phone at that very moment, going on about how amazing Dalton seems and how lovely his room mate is. But things weren't normal.

"Hey, Kurt?" Blaine cut off his train of thought. Kurt looked up at Blaine. "Did you fancy going to meet some of the other students? My friends are dying to meet you and it'll be nice to know other people. You'll probably get sick of me!"

Kurt let out a small chuckle and thought about Blaine's suggestion. He didn't think he was really up for meeting new people when he could barely deal with the people he knew, but it would be nice to get to know people before school started. However, how would they react to his lack of speech? Kurt glanced back at Blaine who was stood waiting for an answer, before giving a sheepish nod and following Blaine out of the door to meet the people he'd be spending the rest of his school life with.


	4. Chapter 4

"So, my friends are kind of crazy," Blaine explained as they walked to the senior commons. "Sorry if they scare you with their weirdness."

Kurt smirked and gave an understanding nod, before following Blaine through the large, wooden door.

"Blainey!" a dark haired boy greeted Blaine as soon as he saw him, causing the group he was with to turn and see him and make their way over.

"Hey, guys!" Blaine said, smiling at the boys. "I thought you two were going to the cinema?"

"We were, but there was nothing good on," a blonde boy said. "So we decided we'd come back here and watch a film with you guys."

"This your roomie?" asked a tall, asian boy.

"Oh, yeah. Kurt, this is Nick, Jeff, Wes, David and Trent," Blaine said, pointing to each of the boys in turn. "Guys, this is Kurt."

A variety of greetings and welcomes were thrown in Kurt's direction and his lips turned up into a small smile as he nodded gratefully at the boys.

"So, Kurt, how are you liking Dalton?" the boy Blaine has introduced as David asked.

Instead of answering, Kurt whipped out a pen and started scribbling down in his notebook, before handing it to David to read.

_'It's big, posh and a little intimidating, but I could get used to it.'_

David read it with a smile and muttered a "Yeah, it takes some getting used to," as an agreement.

"Hey, Kurt. Want to help up pick out a film? Then you and Blainey can join us for a film night," Nick asked.

"Nick, why do you insist on calling me Blainey?" Blaine questioned.

"It's a cute nickname!" Nick insisted. "Ignoring Blainey's grumpiness, you up for helping?" Nick continued, speaking to Kurt.

Kurt nodded and went to follow Nick, David and Trent over to the entertainment centre. He heard the mumbles of the boys as they made conversation with Kurt about the films, only earning nods, gestures and expressions, but not questioning it or stopping the conversation.

"So, he doesn't speak, huh?" Jeff asked.

"Nope. I'm not really sure why. I was told that if Kurt wanted to tell me why then he would, but it's cool. He's quite good at expressing what he's saying without words and he's actually really nice," Blaine explained.

"And hot," added Jeff. Blaine and Wes stared at the blonde boy. "What? He's hot! Those skinny jeans are so teasing!"

Blaine had to admit that he agreed, but he didn't voice his agreement, instead deciding to change the subject from Kurt's physical attraction. "You guys aren't going to make a big deal of it are you? I mean, I understand it's a little unusual, but there are reasons behind it and I don't want him to feel uncomfortable or anything. I think he kind of needs some friends right now."

"Don't sweat it, Blaine," Wes said. "I'll explain to the guys and we won't bring it up or anything unless Kurt wants us to."

"Blainey!" called Nick. Blaine rolled his eyes at the nickname. "We picked a film! You'll like this one. Kurt has good taste in Disney films!"

Blaine chuckled and headed over to the sofas near the television.

"Jeff and I will go and get some cushions and blankets and stuff," Nick informed them, receiving several nods as replies.

"No make out sessions on the way. We want to actually watch this film some time tonight!" David called after them. Kurt looked with wide eyes at Blaine, who was chuckling.

"Nick and Jeff are dating," he explained. Kurt bit his lip and watched after the couple, who'd linked hands as they left the room. "Oh and just a warning," Blaine continued, "my friends are extremely cuddly. I sometimes forget that Wes, David and Trent aren't gay sometimes. So, yeah, if you get cuddled up to or something, they won't be offended if you just shove them off."

Kurt smiled, but suddenly shifted his weight, as if uncomfortable. Blaine lead him over to a sofa, where he took a seat next to Blaine. He decided that he shouldn't be uncomfortable about people being touchy feely, as he was like it all the time with his friends and he remembered once waking up from a New Directions film night with a sleepy Sam draped over him. But these people he'd only just met and – unless their gaydars were alerting them – they didn't know he was gay yet. However, they seemed comfortable Nick and Jeff.

Kurt was glad that there were other gay people here as well as the fact that others seemed comfortable with them and the idea of two boys dating. He was especially glad that Blaine was comfortable with that, for he didn't want his room mate resenting him if he found out he were gay.

Finally, Nick and Jeff came back, looking slightly flustered suggesting that they'd ignored David's instructions. They spread the cushions and blankets evenly between the group and everybody settled into place to watch the film.

The film they'd chosen was Toy Story, which the group agreed was a great film! Kurt was glad that he could indulge on one of his guilty pleasures – kid's films (Disney in particular) – with people who seemed to share the same interest. Non of them seemed to look at it as a guilty pleasure, but as a normallity.

The film was barely 10 minutes in before Kurt understood what Blaine was saying about his friends being cuddly. On another sofa, Wes was leaning over David with his head on the other boy's chest and David's chin resting on the top of Wes's head. On the floor in front of them, Nick was sat between Jeff's legs, his back against Jeff's chest and Jeff's arms wrapped around his torso. Kurt watched with wide eyes and Jeff pressed casual kisses to the side of Nick's face. He'd never really seen a proper gay couple, and Nick and Jeff weren't acting as if their relationship was any different than one between a male and female would be.

Trent, who was sat next to Kurt, had slowly come to lean further into him so that his head was on Kurt's shoulder. Blaine seemed to be doing to same on Kurt's other side, but Kurt didn't feel particularly uncomfortable.

He did notice that people who were passing through the commons, sometimes with a brief greeting or wave, didn't seem to be surprised by the boys' positions or the fact that they were watching Toy Story. Instead, they were more surprised to see a new face amongst them.

By the time the film had finished, it was dinner time and all of the boys were eager to eat. Kurt happily followed them, with the boys chatting amongst themselves or informing Kurt of more things about the school. The nervousness Kurt had felt previously was now gone and he was already looking forward to being a part of this school. Everyone was so kind and hadn't treated him weirdly, even though he wasn't speaking. He was smiling, without it being just to gesture his thanks towards somebody. He was definitely going to like Dalton.

* * *

_**[A/N] Righty oh! I had to add a little Niff into this story because I think it's adorables! Sorry for the lateness of the update, but I'll try and update again soon. Thanks for reading :)**_


	5. Chapter 5

**_[A/N] Right, so my lack of updates is due to my holiday, which I'm (obviously) back from now and have like 4 weeks left until school so I have a lot of time to write and I plan to do so. Here's an update then and I'm currently writing my updates for my other fics. Thanks for every one who waited and thanks for the followers and reviews I came home to. They made me very happy :D And sorry for any mistakes in this. If there are any really big ones you'll have to tell me, but I kind of wanted to get this up with so I could continue updating other stories and reply to messages and whatnot. Anway, I'm going to stop there. Thanks for anyone reading this, I'm truly grateful!_**

* * *

Dinner had been full of cheery chatting between mouthfuls of food, the Dalton boys giving Kurt as much information as he'd need for attending the school. Kurt was extremely happy so far with the people at Dalton, and he was sure that this would make classes all the easier.

After such a long day, Kurt was extremely tired and by the time he and Blaine had returned to their dormitory he was practically falling asleep. He quickly used to bathroom to change into his pyjamas and climbed into bed whilst Blaine took his turn in the bathroom. When Blaine came back out, he found Kurt fast asleep on his bed. With a smile and a slight chuckle, he went to get into his own bed.

Blaine slept soundly until he was woken at just past 2 AM. His eyes shot open and examined the dark room. Nothing seemed out of place, but something had woken him. He heard a whimper and his head whipped around to Kurt's bed. Kurt's duvet had fallen to the floor, leaving his legs free to kick frantically. Blaine listened and noticed Kurt was breathing heavily and through the darkness he could just make up Kurt's face, twisted into a scared expression. The little light that was entering through the window gleamed on Kurt's face, exposing the tears that had apparently fell during his slumber. Another whimper escaped Kurt's lips as he scrambled around his bed.

He was having a nightmare.

Blaine rolled out of his own bed and made his way over to Kurt, trying to figure out the best way to wake him. He'd once been told that you shouldn't wake somebody suddenly because it can startle them and cause panic, but he didn't know whether his room mate was going to wake up too easily.

"Kurt," Blaine hissed, nearing the sleeping boy. "Kurt?"

A strangle sob escaped the boy's throat and his hands went to his neck, clutching at the base and coughing. It sounded almost as if he was choking.

Blaine immediately took Kurt's shoulder lightly and shook it slightly. "Kurt, wake up," Blaine said. "KURT!"

At Blaine's sudden raise in volume, Kurt's eyes flew open and he scurried back a little until his back was against the headboard of his bed. His breath was still heavy and he was clutching his throat tightly.

"You alright?" Blaine whispered, shuffling closer to Kurt on the bed. Kurt shook his head and another sob erupted from him. Blaine wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulder and pulled him into his chest. "Did you want to talk about it? Or write about it even?"

When Kurt didn't answer, Blaine gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I know you're new and I know you don't know me well. But I can guarantee you that I'm here to look out for you. That's what room mates do. You're kind of stuck with me, whether you like me or not. Whether you trust me or not. Whether you want to tell me about this or not."

Kurt turned his head from Blaine's chest to look up at his face. His eyes were red and just as damp as his cheeks and Blaine's t-shirt. After a moment of just analysing Blaine's face, Kurt reached for under his pillow and brought out his notebook. He unhooked the pen from the ring bound, opened the notebook and scribbled down one word.

'Nightmares.'

"I guessed it was nightmares," Blaine whispered. "You looked absolutely terrified. I thought you were going to stop breathing or something."

Kurt added another phrase to the notebook.

'Bad memories.'

Blaine gave his shoulder another squeeze and put the notebook back in Kurt's hands. "About why you transferred?" Blaine asked. Kurt nodded and one hand automatically raised to finger the fabric at the collar of his shirt above the base of his neck.

"May I?" Blaine asked, his hand gesturing to where Kurt's fingers were currently touching. Kurt looked uncertain, so Blaine dropped his hand. "Want to know why I transferred?"

Kurt looked up at Blaine and nodded, eyes wide. "Well," Blaine started, "I wasn't very well liked at my old school. I was different to every one else, and nobody liked different. Because of this I was constantly tormented. I was slammed into lockers, my stuff was stolen on a daily basis, but worst was the swirlies. Swirlies were a big thing at my school. You knew who was bottom of the food chain by who came staggering out of the toilet every lunch time with dripping wet hair and gasping for breath. I was one of the bullies' favourite victims. I probably got the worst of it. I used to have nightmares every night about them, that I was drowning and I'd wake up barely being able to breath. I had to go to the hospital a couple of times because of how bad the panic attacks were getting. Anyway, eventually they got kind of bored of the same old routine when it came to bullying me and laid off me for a while. But then came the Sadie Hawkins dance. I'd just come out and I didn't really have any friends so I asked this guy if he'd like to go with me. He was like me. The only other gay guy in school and bullied daily. We agreed to go as friends, thinking that maybe it could be a laugh. The actual dance part was awful. We didn't dance much because we got a lot of stick for it. Eventually we got fed up with all the comments and called his dad to come and pick us up. We were waiting outside for him when these three guys from the football team came and beat the living crap out of us." He felt Kurt tense at this, but decided to continue.

"The other guy's injuries weren't so bad, but he had to go through quite a bit of therapy. I had therapy too, but they mainly focused on my physical injuries. I had a few broken bones, sprained ankle, a lot of cuts on my back which resulted in rather a bit of blood loss. I was unconscious for a while too. I scared my parents half to death. I hadn't even come out to them yet, so when they heard the reason I was beaten up they were a little shocked. When I woke up I eventually had to explain everything to my parents. About the bullies and the reason I was having panic attacks and the reason why I was being bullied in the first place. Luckily, they took it well, but when they realised how bad my life at school was and how it wasn't just effecting my emotional health but my physical health, they found Dalton. Zero tolerance anti bullying policy, enforced rules about the way we're treated. We had the money and it may have taken a bit of getting used to being so far away from them, but we decided it was for the best. And it was. I actually enjoy my school life here. I have friends, I'm in the Warblers. I thought it would be exactly the same here as at public school, but Dalton's so safe. I still get nightmares every so often and I've even suffered my fair share of panic attacks here, but it's so much better. You can trust people here and you can guarantee that no one will judge you no matter who you are, what you are. You can talk to anyone and they'll listen. Whether or not they understand your situation or been through the same thing or not, they will listen and do their best to give you the best advice possible."

Kurt wasn't sure when he'd started crying again, but there was unmistakably tears running down his cheeks as he listened to Blaine's story. He found that his hand was grasping the arm that was around his shoulders and he hesitated. He broke his eye contact with Blaine and focused on his fingers which he'd brought up to his collar and looped beneath the fabric. Slowly and gently he pulled down the fabric to reveal what was underneath. What Blaine saw made his heart ache for the boy in front of him.

Bruises. Scattered along where he held his collar, and from what Kurt guessed probably further down too. These bruises were older and almost faded, turning yellow, but those weren't the ones Blaine was most worried about. No, the bruises that concerned Blaine the most were those spread all along the base of Kurt neck, the more recent ones. In the position they were and the idea that these were more recent gave Blaine a pretty good idea of why Kurt was here.

"I'm so sorry, Kurt," Blaine whispered, pulling Kurt into a tight embrace and resting his head in Kurt's hair. "I'm really sorry about anything bad that's ever happened and I know I can't fix that. I can't change the past no matter how much I want to, but I promise that I'm here for you now. If you ever need me. To talk to about this, or anything. Don't hesitate and don't hide."

Kurt's sobbing had slowed with his breathing and it wasn't long before his breathing had calmed completely and he was falling asleep on Blaine's chest. Blaine took this as a hint to go back to bed, laying Kurt back down on his bed and resting his head against the pillow. Blaine got up off Kurt's bed and went back to his own, tucking himself into his duvet.

But as soon as he closed his eyes again, he got images of Kurt's bruises. The bruises that stretched along the pale, porcelain surface of Kurt's neck were scarred into his thoughts. Those were bruises Kurt could have only got one way. Those were bruises that came from strangling.


End file.
